


Stay

by marmolita



Series: Arrangements [3]
Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Back to Earth, Episode Related, Episode: s02e02 The Intruder, F/M, Friends With Benefits, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-10
Updated: 2016-03-10
Packaged: 2018-05-25 19:56:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,374
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6208048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/marmolita/pseuds/marmolita
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The point is that Rodney has been coming home to his apartment in Colorado Springs, spending some quality time with his cat and the most comfortable bed in two galaxies, taking a break from-- from everything.  It's relaxing.  It's refreshing.</p>
<p>It's boring as fuck.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stay

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is like 90% [misswonderheart's](http://misswonderheart.tumblr.com) idea and content, as usual! Thanks a million, you are the best. <3
> 
> Takes place while they're on Earth, as shown in the flashbacks during The Intruder.

They've been back on Earth for three weeks when Elizabeth shows up at Rodney's door. It's not like he hasn't seen her -- they spent the first three days closeted in debriefings, then had to negotiate the headcount for additional staff, make a budget, fill out requisition forms, work through piles of resumes . . . But he hasn't heard from her outside of the professional context, as she's been spending her free time, he imagines, with family. With her -- boyfriend? Fiance? That guy, what was his name?

Well, it doesn't matter much. The point is that Rodney has been coming home to his apartment in Colorado Springs, spending some quality time with his cat and the most comfortable bed in two galaxies, taking a break from-- from everything. It's relaxing. It's refreshing.

It's boring as fuck.

He doesn't miss nearly getting killed every other day. It's the technology, the science, the excitement of exploration and advancing his understanding of the universe to the next level that really draws him . . . and okay, maybe he's kind of grown to like the adrenaline rush of saving everyone's asses at the last possible second. Sheppard would probably laugh at him if he ever admitted it. So the fact is that when his doorbell rings and he opens the door to find Elizabeth there, a little thrill of excitement runs through him.

"Elizabeth! This is, uh, an unexpected pleasure."

She's dressed casually, jeans and a long-sleeved black tee, handbag dangling from her fingertips. He stands there for a moment, suddenly conscious of the fact that he's wearing sweatpants and his _Programmers Do It In Binary_ T-shirt, before she quirks an eyebrow and says, "Are you going to invite me in?"

"Oh, yes, of course, come in." She drops her purse on his coffee table as he quickly picks up the books and papers piled all over his living room. "So," he says, setting down a stack of work on the end table, "what brings you to--" and then she's kissing him, cutting him off completely and effectively, and Rodney's brain short circuits.

He kisses back reflexively, the response ingrained after a year of intermittent trysts. Elizabeth's mouth is hot and eager, her hands already rucking up his shirt, and it takes a few long moments before Rodney gets himself together enough to pull away. "Wait, wait, what? You specifically said only on Atlantis, not--"

"Shut up, just shut up," she mutters, sliding a hand down the front of his sweats, and okay, shutting up, he can do that.

They make it to the bed, clothes coming off along the way, and when Elizabeth pushes him down and straddles his hips, tongue leaving a hot trail up the side of his jaw, Rodney reaches for his bedside table. His hand fumbles over the handle on the drawer and he suddenly remembers that this isn't his bed in Atlantis. "Shit, I don't-- I don't have any condoms, do you?" It's perhaps a little embarrassing, but it's been years since he's taken a woman back to this apartment.

"It's fine," Elizabeth says breathlessly, "I'm on the pill, it's fine," and he's not going to argue with that. She rides him hard, hands braced on his shoulders until she collapses on top of him and lets him do the work instead.

After, instead of immediately climbing off him like she usually does, she stays slumped on top of him, trembling slightly, her face tucked into his neck. His arms come up around her waist and he holds her, uncertain about what she wants. "Elizabeth?" he asks, and she jerks violently, then lets out a choked sob. Rodney quickly rolls her off onto her side, brushing at the hair that covers her face. "Oh my god, did I hurt you? I'm so sorry, I didn't, what did I, are you okay?"

She shakes her head and tucks it back into his shoulder, and his arm comes up around her to hold her again, because what the fuck do you do with a woman crying in your bed? With _Elizabeth Weir_ crying? "I'm fine," she gets out eventually, voice shaky. He snorts in disbelief, and she laughs through her tears. "Really, it's not you."

Rodney might not be as brilliant in social situations as he was in scientific ones, but it doesn't take a genius to put two and two together. "Do you want to--"

"I don't want to talk about it." She sniffles, and he hands her a tissue from his night table. She wipes her nose and eyes and tosses the tissue in the trash, and he expected that that would be it, she'd get up and leave, but instead she lays back down, pillowing her head on his arm, and says, "Thank you."

***

She's still there in the morning. They both shifted during the night, Rodney spreading out to take up space, Elizabeth curling up in the corner of the bed with most of the blankets. She's still asleep when he wakes up, so Rodney goes about his morning routine, trying to be quieter than usual so he won't disturb her. He doesn't hear her stirring until he's in the kitchen, impatiently waiting for the coffee maker to finish and making himself a bowl of oatmeal.

The toilet flushes, and it occurs to him that maybe he ought to make two bowls.

When Elizabeth emerges, she's wearing his shirt from last night and not much else. She accepts the cup of coffee he offers silently and sits sideways at his table, her feet tucked up under herself. He can't imagine how that's comfortable, with the chair not at all intended for that position, but she seems alright. "Oatmeal?" he offers. "It's instant, I've got different flavors. Strawberry, blueberry, uh, maple brown sugar?"

"Strawberry would be great."

It's too quiet. God knows Rodney's not great talking about sensitive topics, and Elizabeth is a rather private person, but he feels like he ought to do something, or say something. "Are you going in to the SGC today?" he asks instead, skipping over the more personal questions and trying for normalcy instead.

"Yeah, Carson's finalizing the medical staff list this morning. Also don't forget you owe me your shortlist of science staff."

"Yes, of course, you'll have it this afternoon. Of course none of the candidates come close to being as good as me, but there are one or two who might be almost as good as Zelenka."

Elizabeth makes a noncommittal sound, then lapses into silence again. Rodney gives up on small talk and starts checking his email, glancing at her occasionally out of the corner of his eye. After a while, she unfolds herself from the chair and heads back into the bedroom. When she comes out again, she's dressed in her clothes from last night, and her hair is much more tidy.

He hesitates, not sure if it's the right thing to say or if he's making too many assumptions, but finally asks, "Do you need a place to stay?"

"I can get a room on base. It's only for a few days, until the Daedalus comes."

"Don't be ridiculous. The beds in those rooms are terrible, do you have any idea how badly I hurt my back the few times I had to sleep in them? You don't have to do that, you'll stay here, of course."

"Rodney--"

"No, don't even try it. It's settled." Rodney smiles to himself. Then, a thought occurs to him, and his smile falters. "Unless of course you don't want to stay with me. I know I can be rather, well, abrasive at best, and--"

"Thank you," Elizabeth says gently. "I'll stay."

***

Elizabeth doesn't talk about it, about _him_. During the day, they both work long hours, not seeing any more of each other than necessary. At night, they spend their evenings watching reruns of _Star Trek: Deep Space Nine_ and debating whether or not Sisko was justified in sabotaging a ship to trick the Romulans into joining the alliance. It's . . . nice. It's comfortable. They share the bed, but they don't have sex again.

On the last morning before they leave for Atlantis, Rodney stops on his way out the door. "You know," he says, "he didn't deserve you."


End file.
